I have the Optura 10, and i love it. The only diferences between the 10 and 20 is that the 20 has a larger lcd screen, and a built in light, so it has a better night mode. The camera has manual focus which is nice for when autofocus is gettign confused. It also has sharper video and cleaner sound than other consumer mini dv cameras i've used. I highly reccoment the Canon Optura 10 or 20.

I'll second Brinks on the TRV900, a camera I had for a long time (and sold for $200 less then I paid 2 years later!). There are many products out there that various companys just get "right" that somewhat withstand the advances in technology. I would consider the 900 to be in that class. Plus when you start editing and dump your work to DVD or compress it for the web you'll really see the benefits of a true 3ccd cam.